Sunday, October 21, 2012

Things To Check Out While Purchasing a House

As a lot of money goes into the process of home buying, no buyer wants to end up making a wrong choice. However, when the housing market is flooded with clever sellers, trying to sell their property at high rates by concealing the defects, you need be smarter than them. Especially, when it comes to inspecting the house, you just cannot afford to be careless. If you are low on budget and cannot pay for the expensive services of a professional home inspector, then examining a house on your own can also offer you same results, if you know what and how to inspect various parts of the house. Listed below are some of the things that you should check out while purchasing a house.

* Structure - Inspecting the structure of the house implies examining the foundation, roof and exterior walls. While checking the roof of a property, look for the signs of uneven sections and sagging. Also, pay attention to the foundation, while walking around the property. If you observe any long or open cracks, then make sure to mention this to the seller. If there is any basement, then look for the signs of cracks and moisture. It is also important to take note of the walls. See to it that they are not bulging or sagging.

* Vehicles access - Chances are that you would be driving out of the house at least one time a day. Thus, you need to ensure that the driveway, garage or parking is good. If the driveway slopes up, then be sure that you would be comfortably heading up after coming back home every day. If the driveway slopes down towards your house, then there is a possibility of having some drainage problems. So, whatever is the case, make sure the issue is addressed properly. Besides, make sure the driveway does not end up in an active or busy street. Also, see to it that the area is tidy. Dirt can turn into dirty mud and gravel can shift, resulting in low spots.

* Drainage - Where exactly does the water go? This is one of the most important questions that every home buyer should try to find an answer for. While walking around the house, check out the natural drainage ways. When approaching the house, look at its overall topography and see if it is inclined or leveled.

* Electrical and plumbing - Do not forget to inspect each and every electrical wire in the house. Note if these wires pass through the trees and are securely fastened to the property. Also, look for the smoke detectors, especially inside the bedrooms. Make sure to flip some switches and examine the plugs. This is not to check the system but only to make sure that there is not anything in the house that is blatantly wrong. Plumbing is not very hard to examine. Just flush the toilets and turn on/off the taps to see if the water pressure is good.

By keeping in mind this checklist, of all the things that need to be checked, would help you inspect a house properly. In fact, if you are good at the job, then you may get same results as you could have got by hiring a professional home inspector. So, thoroughly inspect the various parts of the house to see if it is the house of your dreams or not.